1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water closet rings for securing a commode or water closet on a floor and more particularly, to a two-piece, channel-shaped water closet ring having a pair of generally semicircular first and second bottom flange ring segments, one end of each ring segment terminating in a raised flange and the other end of each ring segment terminating in a straight flange, each raised and straight flange having a slotted opening provided therein. One of the ring segments is first fitted in a slot around one side of a conventional water closet drain fitting extending upwardly through a floor from a floor drain pipe. The opposite ring segment is then fitted around the slotted opposite side of the water closet drain fitting, with the raised slotted flange on one end of the first ring segment overlying the straight slotted flange on the corresponding end of the second ring segment, and the straight slotted flange on the opposite end of the first ring segment underlying the raised slotted flange on the corresponding end of the second ring segment. The channel-shaped ring segments define substantially coplanar, parallel bottom flange ring surfaces and multiple ring mount openings are included in each ring segment between the slotted openings for receiving respective ring mount screws, which are threaded into the floor or into screw anchors to removably secure the ring segments to the floor with the coplanar channel-shaped flange surfaces resting securely on the floor. A water closet mount bolt is then extended upwardly through each pair of registering slotted openings. A donut-shaped wax gasket is placed on the assembled and mounted circular water closet ring and a water closet is seated on top of the wax gasket with the water closet mount bolts projecting through openings in the water closet base. After the water closet is properly positioned on the wax gasket, a nut is threaded on the end of each water closet mount bolt and tightened against a washer resting on the base of the water closet to compress and seal the wax gasket between the base of the water closet and the water closet ring. The first ring segment or second ring segment, or both, of the water closet ring can be easily replaced without having to remove the closet drain fitting from the floor drain pipe. This replacement is effected by first unthreading and removing the nuts and washers from the respective water closet mount bolts, lifting the water closet and wax gasket from the assembled water closet ring, removing the ring mount screws which secure the ring segment or segments to the floor and then removing the damaged ring segment or segments and securing a replacement ring segment or segments in its place, as described above.
In residential and commercial buildings, sewerage pipes which drain water closets seated on a restroom floor typically originate a short distance above and extend downwardly below the surface of the floor. A typical conventional water closet ring includes a circular, stamped metal flange which is secured to the flanged upper end of a closet drain fitting that engages the sewerage floor drain pipe. A wax sealing ring or gasket is positioned on the water closet ring and the base of the water closet is positioned on the wax gasket. Bolts extend upwardly through preformed bolt slots provided in the metal flange of the water closet ring and through the wax gasket and openings in the base of the water closet. Retaining nuts are then threaded on each bolt shank, thus compressing the wax gasket to form a liquid-tight connection between the sewerage drain pipe and the water closet.
One of the problems associated with conventional water closet rings is that the typically stamped steel ring corrodes and rusts over a period of time and a portion of the ring frequently breaks off from the remainder of the ring, such that the base of the water closet is no longer seated firmly on the wax gasket provided between the base of the water closet and the water closet ring. This causes unsteadiness of the water closet and also may result in water leaking from the base of the water closet. Replacement of rusted, corroded or broken water closet rings is difficult, since the conventional rings are designed to form a permanent part of the closet drain fitting in the plumbing installation and cannot be easily removed from the sewer line to which they are attached without removing the water closet from the water closet ring and sewer drain pipe and replacing the entire water closet ring and closet drain fitting assembly. This replacement usually involves chiseling the existing assembly from the floor with the expenditure of much time and effort.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various flanges and water closet rings are known in the art for sealing pipe connections or sealing a water closet on a sewer drain pipe. U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,547, dated Dec. 10, 1968, to Shinkichi Yano, describes an "Annular Locking Assembly Used In Ring Attachments For Preventing Water Leakage In Water Pipe Connections". The locking assembly is characterized by a clamping ring having two arcuate sections, each provided on one end with a first stud disposed parallel to the axis of the pipes being connected. A retaining aperture is provided on the other end of each section, through which aperture the first stud of the other section can be passed upon flexing the sections such that their planes cross each other. A second ring includes two arcuate sections having apertures to receive all the studs of the assembled first ring. U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,662, dated Aug. 18, 1970, to Edgar B. Tolman, et al, discloses a "Coupling For Hard Cast Iron Pipe" for joining two links of pipe constructed of cast iron, tile, porcelain or glass. Circumferential grooves are provided on the adjacent ends of each of the pipes to be connected. A pair of split rings which are round in cross-section are seated in the grooves and a bolting collar embraces each ring, each collar having a conical ring-contacting inner surface which is larger in circumference than the rings at a face of the collar near the adjacent pipe ends and smaller than the rings but larger than the pipe at a face of the collar remote from the corresponding pipe end. A compressible gasket is positioned between the adjacent ends of the pipes and bolts loosely extend through aligned holes in the collars and cooperate with nuts to draw the collars toward one another. A "Method of Repairing Water Closet Anchoring to Fractured Closet Flange and Spanner Clamp Therefore" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,630, dated Jun. 17, 1980, to Mark Bressler. The method includes the steps of disconnecting and disassembling a water closet from a water closet flange and assembling an arcuate, slotted repair spanner clamp on the bottom surface of the closet flange spanning the fracture therein. A further step includes extending a headed fastener up through the anchor clamp and reassembling the water closet on the anchor clamp. U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,639, dated May 28, 1985, to Roy S. Florian, describes a "Hinged Flange For Tailpipes and the Like" for coupling flanged pipes of an exhaust system. The hinged flange includes a pair of laminated clamp members of arcuate configuration, each including at least three arcuate sheet metal segments which are staggered in overlying relationship so as to provide end portions in which laminae are spaced apart. The end portions of the two clamp members are interfitted and are provided with aligned apertures, through which fasteners extend for assembly of the two clamp members with an associated clamping element, to clamp the flanged pipes together. U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,266, dated Apr. 28, 1987, to Joachim Horn, details a "Split-Flange Connector and Method of Making Same", including the step of rolling a strand of steel into an elongated bar having a rolled planar face formed centrally with a semi-cylindrical groove extending parallel to the face. The bar is then cut perpendicularly to the face into at least two identical sections of a predetermined length and at least one bore offset from and parallel to the groove is drilled through each bar section. U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,694, dated Jun. 22, 1993, to Alex Knorovsky, describes an "Anchoring Device and Method for Anchoring a Toilet to a Broken Water Closet Ring". The anchoring device is characterized by a circular flange having a missing portion which defines a gap in the flange. The anchoring device includes a pair of arcuate members, both having flat surfaces formed at the same diameter as the flange of the water closet ring. At least one of the members is formed over an arc of a length greater than a semicircle. The members are hingedly joined together at one end and each includes an apertured end which can be moved into overlapping relationship with respect to the apertured end of the other. The apertured ends are first drawn apart so that they may be positioned around the water closet ring and then brought together in overlapping relationship so that the members form a collar about the water closet ring. A sealing bolt is extended upwardly through the registering apertures and threaded into the base of the toilet for seating the toilet on the anchoring device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,215, dated May 24, 1994, to Karl Weinhold, details a "Flange Ring" which is divided into a pair of half flanges along a plane extending axially through the flange ring. Each half flange has a bolt in one end and a pocket in the other end, such that the bolt on one half flange may reversibly engage the pocket of the other half flange. The flange ring is formed with holes in both half flanges for the passage of fastening screws. U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,372, to Dranberg details a flat plate split replacement flange connected between the respective T-slots by screws or pins.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved, two-piece water closet ring for seating a water closet on a floor in fluid communication with a water closet drain fitting extending above the floor, which water closet ring connects at respective T-slots and may be easily replaced without having to remove the water closet drain fitting from the floor drain.
Another object of this invention is to provide a two-piece, channel-shaped water closet ring having substantially parallel coplanar bottom flange surfaces and characterized by a substantially semicircular first bottom flanged ring segment terminated by slotted flanges on each end and a similar, complementary second bottom flanged ring segment also terminated by slotted flanges, which first ring segment or second ring segment may be individually unbolted, removed from the floor and from the opposite ring segment and replaced due to rusting, corrosion or breaking of the ring segment, without having to remove and replace the water closet drain fitting.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a two-piece, stamped, channel-shaped metal water closet ring characterized by a semicircular first parallel bottom flange ring segment having a raised slotted flange on one end and a straight slotted flange on the other end, which first ring segment engages a slot in the flanged upper end of a vertical water closet drain fitting extending downwardly through the floor against a floor drain pipe. The two-piece water closet ring is completed by a similar second parallel bottom ring flange ring segment, the ends of which are terminated by like slotted flanges, the raised slotted flange on one end of the first ring segment overlying the straight slotted flange on the corresponding end of the second ring segment, and the straight slotted flange on the opposite end of the first ring segment underlying the raised slotted flange on the corresponding end of the second ring segment. The ring segments of the completed, channel-shaped annular ring having substantially coplanar bottom flange surfaces, are secured to the floor and a water closet mount bolt is extended upwardly through each set of registering slots and through or adjacent to a wax ring or gasket and subsequently through the base of a water closet resting on the wax gasket, to receive a nut and washer and anchor the water closet on the floor in fluid communication with the sewer drain pipe in the floor.